


Swipe Right

by berryforager



Category: Dead To Me (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, I finally figured out writing my own tags, I know yall are super thrilled at this development, Jen gets Tinder, Jen meets some men first, Judy didn't kill Ted, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:46:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27839332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/berryforager/pseuds/berryforager
Summary: Prompt: Jen is lonely and bored of just being a sad widow. She downloads tinder. She meets Judy, someone so far from her type that she's perfect for a One Night Stand, just to get things going again.It does not end up being a one time thing...
Relationships: Judy Hale/Jen Harding
Comments: 52
Kudos: 133





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I claimed this prompt way back on August 5th, and writing another fic got in the way, BUT when I commit to something, I will do it, no matter how long it takes, lol.
> 
> Thank you to my pals on Twitter for teaching me all about Tinder and what "unicorn hunters" are, and especially to queen_c13 and cardeloons for being such great researchers! Literally could not have written this without y'all! 💜
> 
> This was originally going to be a one-shot but I liked it split into two chapters. Bear with me this chapter 😉

Jen Harding is horny.

Six months ago, she was a bitter, unhappily married woman whose husband wouldn't touch her and was probably having an affair (although he staunchly denied it, and she couldn't prove it). Then he dropped dead from a heart attack, and she became a bitter widow before she could become a bitter divorcee. Point is, she's been bitter and starved for physical affection for a  _ long _ time and, honestly, it's taking a toll. 

Raising two boys who are reeling from the sudden loss of their father has been Jen's main focus, and obviously she's had her own grief to deal with- they hadn't been happy for a long time, but she'd loved Ted, and as much pain as he caused her, she still mourned his death. Then there's his mother, who Jen sees often both personally and professionally. Almost every time, she bursts into tears, usually lamenting about something like Jen's inability to stop Ted from eating so much red meat, or "If you hadn't started letting yourself go, Jennifer, maybe Teddy wouldn't have, either". Yeah, Lorna's presence definitely exacerbates the mourning process (among other things). 

Jen has more than enough to keep her busy, and a new relationship is the  _ last _ thing she needs. An orgasm, though? That'd sure be fucking nice. 

"I need to get laid!" Jen practically yells over the ridiculously loud music, leaning toward Christopher as she sips on her whiskey sour. 

Chris snaps his gaze from the cute bartender holding his attention to Jen, "I'm afraid I can't help you there."

Jen laughs, "Yeah, no shit. You were just eye-fucking that guy!"

"Oh, you noticed? Do you think he did?" He looks back to the bartender and gives him a little wave, gets a wink in return. 

Jen rolls her eyes, "Ugh, it's so easy for you!"

He smirks, "It'd be easy for you too, Jen, if we weren't at a gay bar. You're the one who's been wanting to come here lately!"

"I know," Jen sighs, "but it's been nice, being able to drink and dance and let loose and not get hit on, except by women I can let down easy. But now I'm thinking I'm ready to get back on the horse. The dick horse."

"Dick horse?! Now that's an image."

"I may be a little drunk, but you know what I mean!"

"I don't, actually. Is it a horse made out of dicks? Or just one big, horse-shaped dick?" He's laughing at her between sips of his beer. 

Jen shoves his shoulder, "Shut the fuck up. I'm baring my soul here."

Chris shakes his head, grinning, "Only Jennifer Harding would say talking about her need to get laid is 'baring her soul'... but okay, I get it. You want to get back on the dick horse. Unfortunately this isn't the place for you to do that."

Jen downs the rest of her drink, slams the empty glass on the table and motions to the bartender for another. "Yeah, I know. But where is?"

Chris blinks at her, "Literally any bar or club that isn't specifically for gay people," he looks her up and down, "Look at you! Straight men would be throwing themselves at you!"

She fixes him with a glare. "My husband wouldn't even touch me for two years, Chris."

He grabs her hand and squeezes, "Jen, not to speak ill of the dead, but he was an idiot. May he rest in peace." 

She squeezes back, blinks away tears and shakes her head, angry that they're threatening to spill. 

The moment is mercifully interrupted by Cute Bartender delivering their refills, and he wordlessly grabs Chris' other hand. Jen watches as he uses a sharpie to write out a phone number. "Call me," he says confidently before walking away. 

Chris grins at Jen, flashes her his newly tattooed hand proudly. "You could  _ totally _ do that."

"Ha! No. I don't think I could be that forward. No offense, but I really don't like the idea of meeting a man out at a bar."

"Well, maybe we'll get lucky, and an eligible bachelor will hire us to sell his house. Or you could always try something like Tinder. Especially if you're just looking for a casual hookup, a good old ride on the dick horse. You could even put that in your bio."

Jen narrows her eyes, scrunches her nose in disgust. "Tinder? A dating website?"

"It's not a website," he huffs in mock frustration, "It's an app you download on your phone. It's super simple. I know a lot of people who use it. Some even find relationships!"

Jen waves her hand at him as she takes a sip of her drink, "Uh, no thank you. A nice, easy, one night stand is what I'm after."

He grabs her phone off the table with a flourish. "THERE'S your bio!"

*

When Jen gets home that night, still slightly buzzed, she checks in on the boys. Henry is sound asleep and Charlie is playing a game on his laptop, she's able to get a half-hearted "Goodnight" from him before retreating from his room, and it'll do. His attitude has improved lately, is well above average for a 16-year-old boy, Jen thinks, and he didn't even complain about spending time with his brother tonight. She has been cognizant of being present and supportive of him the past few months, and he's returned the favor. Losing his father has seemed to kick him into "man of the house" gear, and while Jen wants to keep him young and carefree as long as possible, she doesn't hate it. 

After changing clothes and brushing her teeth, Jen crawls into bed with her phone. Despite her protests, Christopher had downloaded Tinder for her, given her a five minute tutorial (all she'd allowed him), and snapped a few pictures of her she could use for her profile. 

It seems easy enough to set up, if she sticks to the basics. It doesn't seem necessary to fill out every single field, but name (Jen), age (46), profession (realtor), and location (Laguna Beach) are things she feels comfortable enough sharing. 

There's a pre-set list of "passions" she can pick from, and she laughs to herself as she reads through them. Crossfit... board games... second-hand apparel... brunch... she loves brunch as much as the next person, but is she  _ passionate _ about it? The only thing she feels for sure she could call a passion on the list is wine, and there's a minimum requirement of three choices, so she decides to skip it. 

Then she needs to add some pictures. Jen doesn't let herself think too long about this part, there's no point in letting her self-consciousness creep in. She'd looked good tonight, and Chris had managed to take some flattering pictures- one of her smiling at the camera, a candid of her side profile when she wasn't paying attention, then a third of her flipping him off when she realized he'd taken her picture without her knowledge. She debates on adding the last one, but thinks it's probably a good idea to present her true self. After some thought, she adds a fourth picture- a professional one. Her hair and makeup look good but aren't over done, she's wearing a flattering red blazer, arms crossed over her chest, big smile on her face. 

Okay. That part is done. Now, what to add to her bio? She has a simple goal in mind here, and doesn't want to make it seem like she's looking for anything serious. Just how straight-forward can she be? Jen bites her lip, thinking, before typing out:  _ Wanna fuck? _

She stares at the words, then barks out a laugh, immediately deleting it. Maybe not THAT straight-forward. She tries again.  _ Realtor. Mother of 2. Care to buy me breakfast? _

She shakes her head, muttering to herself, "What the fuck am I doing? Delete!"  _ Realtor. Mother of 2. Looking for a good time. _

Jen takes a look at it, it's still ridiculous, but isn't this whole thing? She's not looking for someone to introduce her to Mom and Dad, and according to Chris, finding a man to quell her need on this app should be a piece of cake. She just goes with it, not giving it any more thought. 

Now, her preferences. Maximum Distance: 20 miles seems about the absolute max distance she'd travel for a booty call. Show Me: Men. Age range: She settles on 40-50. Everything else seems irrelevant or confusing so she skips it.

Jen plops back against her pillow, letting out a breath. It's done! She's on Tinder, no going back now! (Well, there probably is, but she's on the ride at this point.) It's late, and she's exhausted, but decides to spend a few minutes scrolling through some options. Chris told her- swipe right if she's interested, swipe left if she's not, and if someone swipes right on her, too, it'll be a match and they can message each other. Seems like a process with one too many steps to Jen, she thinks you should be able to message whoever you want, but whatever. 

The first man up is Earl. 41 years old with crazy eyes. Bio says, simply,  _ Sleeping in the bed naked. _ Jen swipes left immediately. "Thank fuck for the two-step process!" She says to no one. 

Next is Tony. 46. He's on a motorcycle is his picture, which makes Jen roll her eyes, but he's attractive. Scruffy, with shaggy dark hair and kind eyes.  _ 6'2. Italian. Easy-going, as far as you know. Looking for... well, we're here on Tinder aren't we? We'll figure something out.  _ She swipes right. The more options she has, the better. 

She looks through a few more, swiping left on the men who look and/or sound crazy (for example,  _ Married Dom looking for an obedient and submissive girl  _ gets a big NOPE,) and swiping right on a few who look and sound normal _ (Nerdy but can blend in with cool kids, mostly _ is surprisingly endearing).

After about 10 minutes she decides to call it a night, plugs her phone in and switches off the lamp. She's just about asleep when she hears her phone vibrate on the nighstand. Curiosity gets the better of her, and she rolls over to check it. 

It's a notification from Tinder. 

_ You got a new match! _ 😍😍😍

'Wow, that was fast,' she thinks, opening up the app. There's a message from a man named Jeff, who is buff and handsome and doesn't have much of anything written in his profile (brevity is an attribute she's looking for here, short bios are an easy swipe right). 

_ Hey there gorgeous. I'll show you a good time... in my pants. _

"Oh, gross!" Jen grimaces as she exits out of the message. 

She figures she was asking for that one. Back to the drawing board on her bio.  _ Looking for a good time  _ becomes  _ Fun-loving. _ Satisfied, she puts her phone on silent and goes to sleep. 

*

The first thing Jen sees the next morning when she checks her phone is another new Tinder notification. 

_ People are checking you out. What are you going to do about it? _ 🤔

'Oh good Lord,' she thinks, rolling her eyes. 'This better be fucking worth it.'

It's Saturday, and she's out and about with the boys, doing some shopping and going to take them to whatever new Marvel movie they've been begging to see. They just sat down to eat some lunch, and her phone won't stop buzzing. Jen has no interest in being on her hookup app in the presence of her sons, but it just won't leave her the fuck alone.

_ You got a new match! _ 😍😍😍

_ There are new people on Tinder waiting to give you the attention you deserve _ 😘

_ You got a new match! _ 😍😍😍 (how many people did she swipe right on?!)

Jen is cussing out her phone under her breath at this point, making a mental note to ask Christopher how to turn this shit off. She could ask Charlie, he'd be able to figure it out, but a big NO THANK YOU to that humiliation. 

Speaking of Charlie, he eyes her suspiciously as he takes a bite of his hamburger. "Who keeps texting you?" 

"Yeah, you never get texts!" Henry adds, ever the sweet, sweet savage. 

She glares at them. "Funnily enough, you two don't have the right to know every person I interact with." They drop it, but Jen decides the best course of action is to put her phone on silent again and ignore it.

It's not until later that night, after the boys are asleep and she's settling onto her bed with a glass of wine that she wades through the app again. Tony the motorcycle guy is a match, and the other match is Dave, an attractive "businessman" with not much on his profile. 

Jen clicks on her messages and finds that Buff Jeff has messaged her again:

_ so, about that good time... are you bringing the grapefruit or should I? _

She doesn't even WANT to know what that means, and thinks there must be a way to un-match from people once they've shown they're fucking nuts. She doesn't see any option for that, and tries to click around on the message... nothing. Then she tries swiping, and some options finally pop up- including a red x and  _ UNMATCH. _ She clicks it immediately. "Oh thank God. Bye Jeff. Good luck with your... grapefruit." Dave has also sent her a message, and it's much more civilized. 

_ Hi Jen. I'm Dave, and I love having fun, too, especially with someone as beautiful as you. Would you like to come over to my place for a drink sometime? _

Jen reads the message a couple of times, mulling it over in her mind. "Coming over for a drink" sounds like just what she's wanting, and Dave has managed to ask it in a non-sleazy, non-creepy, non-fruit-mentioning way. Fuck it. If she's going to do this, she needs to do it. She types out a message and sends it before she can second-guess herself. 

_ That sounds great, Dave. When are you free? _

*

Dave seemed just as eager as Jen to get the ball rolling, and before she knows it, it's the next night and he's greeting her at the door of his condo (address of which she's sent to Christopher, telling him to call the police if he hasn't heard from her in three hours), ushering her inside with a hand at the small of her back. 

Dave is attractive in person, much like his pictures (she's thankful she wasn't catfished on her first Tinder date, Chris had warned her about the possibility). He's a few inches taller than her with dark, grey speckled hair and brown eyes. His place is nice enough, and seems clean (bordering on sterile). He pours them each a double scotch before inviting her to sit on the couch in his living room; she looks around, and it somehow has less personality than an Ikea ad. Jen focuses on the burn in her throat from her drink to ground herself as Dave drones on about whatever "business consulting" is. 

"...so, basically, I just use my talents wherever they're most needed at the time," Dave gives Jen a self-indulgent smile, and she thinks she's supposed to be impressed, so she plays along, nodding. 

"Wow, that's fascinating."

He scoots closer to her on the couch, rests his arm on the back of it so he's almost touching her. "Thanks. What is it you do again? I'm sure it was on your profile, but I was distracted by more important things about you." He winks. 

She hopes her grimace doesn't show. "I'm a realtor. Pretty self-explanatory, I sell people's homes," she answers quickly, then finishes off her drink. "Could I get a refill?"

Dave laughs, sitting his own glass down on the coffee table before grabbing Jen's. "Sure thing. That was quick. You feeling some nerves?"

It's light-hearted teasing, and puts Jen at ease a bit. "Yeah. This is my first time doing this."

He looks at her while he pours her drink, "First time meeting up with someone from Tinder?"

She nods, gratefully grabs the glass as he offers it, "First time trying to sleep with someone other than my husband in over twenty years," she pauses to take a sip, then clarifies, "Dead husband now." 

Dave ignores the dead husband part, eyes lighting up, clearly at Jen's blunt offering of the information she is, in fact, here to sleep with him. He sits back down, even closer than before, and says with confidence, "Let's break the ice then, shall we?" before leaning in to kiss her. Jen's shocked for a moment, but happy to get on with it. He smells good, and he's not a bad kisser, even if he's using a bit too much tongue too quickly for her liking. It's weird, kissing someone other than Ted, but she doesn't hate it, and her body is responding to it after being deprived for so long. She leans into him as she tries not to spill her drink all over his couch. He pulls back after they make out briefly to ask, "Would you like to see my bedroom?"

Jen nods as she finishes her scotch, feeling like it might be easier than she thought for this night come to a satisfying conclusion. As they get to his room, he approaches the night stand and Jen watches to see what he retrieves- a condom. He then quickly undresses, no romance here, so Jen rids herself of her pants as well. Dave is more fit than Ted was, but nothing too impressive. He still has his boxers on as he lays on the bed, and Jen can tell he's hard by the way they're tented. It's arousing, that she can still have this effect on someone, and she climbs onto the bed to straddle him, kissing him again. He reaches up to unbutton her shirt and she swats his hands away, luckily he takes the hint, hands settling on her hips instead. He pulls her further into him and she feels him against her, grinding her hips and relishing what she hasn't experienced in so long, knows she's getting wet. Jen leans back to take off her underwear, he scrambles to do the same, then opens the condom and rolls it on. She sinks down onto him and gasps as he moans. He's talking to her, but she's ignoring it, focusing instead on herself and chasing her own pleasure. There's no emotional connection here for his words to play any part in that. It takes her a few moments to adjust to the feel of him inside her, she's really getting going and starting to enjoy herself when Dave's hips still, he grips her hard and pulls her down to his chest, coming with a strangled groan. 

It takes Jen a second to realize what's just happened, and she moves off of him. He looks sated, but opens his eyes and has the decency to mutter an apology, "Sorry baby, that was too good. I could finish you off with my mouth if you want?"

As much as she just needs to fucking come, she feels disgusted at the thought of a stranger doing that to her, something so intimate, something her husband barely even bothered to do. All she wants now is to get out of there, immediately. "No, thanks." She finds her underwear and pants as quickly as possible, pulling them on as she grabs her shoes and heads for the door. 

"Hey," Dave says as he leans up to look at her, "we should do this again sometime."

Jen looks back at him, incredulous. "Absolutely fucking not." She slams the door on her way out for good measure. 

Unfortunately, she's still sober enough to drive home, and lets out a long breath when she gets into her car, head falling back on the seat. Jen turns on the radio, cranking up the loud rock music that's been calming her down lately (she doesn't like to think too hard about what that means, psychologically speaking). She feels gross for a minute, feels  _ used,  _ but then reminds herself she was looking to use him, too. She shakes it off, didn't really think any part of this process would be easy, and decides she just needs to find a better man to use. 

Jen pulls out her phone to text Chris.

_ I'm out of there. Call off the dogs, he wasn't a murderer. _

She sees he's responding instantly, so she waits- knowing him, he had his phone in his hand all night, waiting to hear from her.

_ That was fast! Mission accomplished? _

_ Ha! Accomplished for him. _

😬  _ Fast, indeed! _

Jen laughs, tossing her phone down as she steps on the gas. 

*

Jen tells herself it's probably best to give it a couple of days before finding her next victim, but that doesn't stop the app from blowing up her phone anyway. She gets notifications of a few new matches, which, fuck, every single person she swiped right on must have swiped right on her, she didn't do THAT much swiping. They must all be matches by now. 

Her favorite new notification:

_ It's no surprise someone is into you. The real question is are you into them? _ 🧐👉 (She appreciates the confidence boost.)

What has become the absolute bane of her existence is something called "Secret Admirer": four cards pop up, each with a question mark on it, with the prompt,  _ Pick a card to reveal one of your secret admirers! _ Apparently, if she guesses correctly, it will show her someone who has swiped right on her that she hasn't swiped on yet. After the fourth try, however, Jen's convinced it's bullshit. Each time, it says she picked the wrong one, but encourages her to  _ upgrade to gold to see who likes you.  _

The laugh she has while thinking of paying money for this shit is the best thing she's gotten out of the app so far.

By Thursday night, still feeling the burn from Dave leaving her hanging, she settles in to check out her new options. 

Tony the motorcycle guy has sent her a message, and it takes her a second to process how normal it is. 

_ Hi Jen, how are you doing? _

She thinks about being a smart-ass, and asking how he thinks she's doing since she's looking for sex on Tinder, but decides against being that person. Play it normal, see where it takes her. 

_ I'm doing good Tony, how are you? _

The other two messages she's received have her swiping and hitting  _ UNMATCH _ before she even sees who sent them: 

_ I was going to call you beautiful, but beauty is from the inside and I haven't been inside you yet. _

and

_ Can I suck your toes? _

It's men in their forties sending her these messages. God, she feels terrible for the young people. 

By the time she deals with that, Tony has messaged her back. 

_ I'm good, thanks for asking! I'd be better if I could give you a ride on my motorcycle, but it's in the shop. Would you be interested in picking me up instead? I'd love to take you out. _

Jen sighs, okay, maybe this is as normal as she can expect here. The "give you a ride" part gives her pause, but if she picks him up and they go eat or something, have some conversation, maybe that's a better idea than how she handled the situation with Dave. She doesn't need a long-term connection, but spending a little more time fostering a one-night connection could pay off. 

_ Sure, Tony. When is good for you? _

*

The following evening, Jen orders a pizza for the boys and finds them playing some car racing video game together on the couch before she leaves for her date. 

"Okay Char, the pizza should be here in about 20, I already paid and left a tip."

Charlie just nods, doesn't look up, clearly deep in concentration. 

"Have fun with Christopher!" Henry says happily.

That prompts Charlie to chime in, "You really expect us to believe you're going out with Chris  _ again?" _

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jen counters, indignant.

He pauses the game and looks up. "I've literally heard you describe him as a "small doses" person, and now you're hanging out with him constantly. Plus you work together."

"I highly doubt I ever said that." (She's sure she's said that.)

Charlie scoffs, "Well you did, but that's not the point. You can tell us if you're dating again. It's not like we expect you to be alone forever, we can handle it."

"Yeah, Mommy. We can handle it," Henry adds, seriously. 

Jen smiles, honestly touched, and leans over the couch to ruffle their hair. "Promise, whenever I meet someone I want to date, you two will be the first to know."

Jen's nervous as she approaches Tony's house, this does feel more like a date, even though they didn't set a plan on where to go. He just told her the time to pick him up and his address. His house looks nice enough, average size, on the outskirts of Laguna. She parks out front and sends him a message to know she's arrived. He approaches her car a couple of minutes later, climbs in the passenger seat and leans over to give her a kiss on the cheek. Oh, Tony's bold.

"Hi, Jen. You look great," he says as he looks at her.

"Hi, Tony. Nice to meet you," comes her awkward reply- he is good-looking, scruffy like his pictures, which she doesn't mind, but he's wearing what seems to be a not recently cleaned t-shirt and jeans. She suddenly feels overdressed in her nice blouse and pants. "Okay, where to?" She asks as she pulls out of his driveway, heading towards the main street outside his neighborhood.

"Well, there's a park a few blocks over that's pretty secluded. We would definitely have some privacy there."

She's sure she misheard him. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I would have invited you inside but my roommate's home, kind of a boner killer if you know what I mean. And your backseat looks big enough." He reaches out to touch her arm, which she yanks away.

"Oh God. This isn't some kind of fucked-up dream. This is actually happening to me," Jen mutters in disbelief as she slams on the breaks and u-turns immediately. 

"What'd you say?" She can sense Tony's confusion, but doesn't care to clear up what should already be crystal, "Where are you going baby?"

"Do NOT call me that, and I'm taking you home," she comes screeching to a halt in the middle of the street, near enough to his house. "Have a great evening with your roommate." She doesn't even look at him, can feel him staring at her for a moment, ignores it and waits. 

"Fine. Your loss."

She closes her eyes until she hears the door slam, then opens them, turns on the radio and cranks it up. She decides to stop for two bottles of wine on the way home. 

Luckily, there's some pizza left she can eat for dinner, and she salvages a night with the boys, who mercifully don't ask her any questions. After they're in bed, she finishes off a bottle and a half of wine, then finishes herself off with her (recently purchased) vibrator. Before she falls asleep, there's something bubbling up within her she's tried so desperately to stave off, an ache in her chest she refuses to acknowledge in her stronger moments. 

It feels a lot like loneliness.

*

The next day, Jen and Christopher have a house showing, and she asks him to meet her even earlier than normal for a Tinder debriefing before they set up. Items she in particular needs to be addressed: 1) how to turn the fucking notifications off, and 2) how did he convince her this was a good idea?

After she has recounted her "dates" in detail and he stops laughing, he takes her phone and turns off the notifications. "There," he says as he hands it back to her, "you should only see stuff now when you actually go into the app."

"Thanks," she grumbles, "and if I want to delete the damn thing?"

"Come on, Jen, you can't have expected this to be easy. Well, I mean, the men definitely are," he actually  _ giggles, _ and she silences him with a glare. "It could take several tries before you find that diamond in the rough."

She rolls her eyes, "I honestly don't know how much more I can take."

"You know... I have a thought. Have you considered expanding your horizons?"

"Umm... not sure what you mean. But I'm not going to drive halfway across California for what's bound to be a shitty lay."

Chris stops arranging the sandwich tray he's working on to look at her, "No. I mean, you've been focusing on men. If you're looking for someone who will take care of  _ you…  _ I know you did some experimenting in college."

Jen opens her mouth to respond, then shuts it with a snap. She's not sure why it never occurred to her, but he's right. Jen sewed a lot of wild oats back in the day, and she didn't care if the oats were male or female. She'd had some experiences with women, some good,  _ great _ experiences, even. Relationships always worked better with men, though, probably because they were more inclined to ignore her own personal brand of emotional unavailability. Then she'd met Ted, and that ship had sailed. 

"Huh. You're right. I guess I could see what's out there. Can't get any worse, honestly. Would probably have some better conversation, too."

A slow grin spreads across Chris' face, "That's my girl!" He looks genuinely thrilled at the prospect. Jen pulls out her phone again to switch her settings from Show Me: Men to Show Me: Everyone, then clicks out of the app- like most things Tinder-related, before she can overthink it.

She nods resolutely at Chris, and he nods back, triumphant; then his expression changes, like another thought just occurred to him. "Oh! I should have asked you this when you first joined but, better late than never. Do you know what unicorn hunters are?"

She really, really doesn't. "Uhhh, no, I must have missed that. Does it come on after 'Finding Bigfoot'?"

After he stops laughing, he gives her a brief course in "How Not to Get Roped Into a Threesome 101".

*

As per tradition now, Jen settles into bed that night with a glass of wine, ready for some Tinder time. Her talk with Chris helped, and she feels like she's back in the right place of not taking this too seriously. He did give her the advice of looking a little more closely at people's profiles and all their pictures before she swipes right, and DEFINITELY before she agrees to meet them. Sound advice, as it's obvious by her choices so far she could afford to be more discriminating. 

She doesn't even look at her new matches and messages, instead wanting to check out her female options first. Chris told her there weren't nearly as many women on the app as men, so she's not surprised when she has to scroll past several men before she gets to one. 

The first picture she sees is a woman in a bikini, with massive, obviously fake, tits that are the focus of her picture. 

_ Nikki 43 _

_ Looking to have some fun _

_ Not a _ 🦄

_ Love pussy _ ❤

While Jen appreciates Nikki being up-front about not being a unicorn (and Chris for telling her what that means, otherwise she'd be very confused), she thinks Nikki might be a bit much for her, and swipes left. 

The next woman she comes across isn't even a picture of a person, just of what looks to be a neon sign that says PLEASE READ MY BIO.

_ Flirtish 45 _

_ Dryer Lint Removal Specialist _

_ Bisexual Woman _

_ Wife&Mom 1st, geeky kinskster 2nd. Would  _ ❤ _ to find  _ 🦄  _ for hubby&me, but may also be open to solo or select couples play. _

Jen's only thought as she's swiping left is that there should really be an app devoted to married people looking for threesomes. The sheer amount of them on Tinder is shocking. 

Over the next few minutes Jen is almost on auto-pilot swiping left; all the women she comes across either look like a Playboy model or are already in a relationship. She barely pays attention to the men. She's yawning, about to give up and call it a night when a picture stops her. 

The woman has wavy dark hair that falls a little past her shoulders, and bangs- usually Jen is not a big fan of bangs, but they definitely work here. She has on what seems to be a navy dress with a bit of a pattern visible, and is wearing a name tag that reads "Judy". What really catches Jen's eye is Judy's smile. She's not showing any teeth, but somehow Jen can feel that the smile is genuine- there are several smile lines framing her mouth, and there's a sweetness to it that Jen hasn't come across on Tinder so far. "Sweet" definitely isn't Jen's type, but it's endearing, and she scrolls through the rest of Judy's pictures. In the next one, she's half hanging out of a classic Ford Mustang, mouth open in an excited smile. Her hair is up in that one, bangs looking just as cute. In her third and final picture, she's on the beach- hair blowing in the wind, looking out at the water. She has a cover up on, and something that strikes Jen is that unlike the other women she's seen, none of Judy's pictures show any skin. She's incredibly beautiful, but she's  _ real. _

Well, the pictures have definitely piqued Jen's interest. Now for the profile, where she has learned to expect the unexpected:

_ Judy 42  _

_ Artist/Teacher  _

_ Bisexual woman _

_ 15 miles away _

_ Pisces who loves art, animals, astrology, baking, and getting to know new people.  _

_ I like to think of myself as a giver in a relationship. Or a receiver, depending on what the other person wants. _ 😉

It makes Jen roll her eyes a bit, especially the inclusion of Pisces (who cares) and that she's interested in astrology. Plus, she can't really think of someone she'd have less in common with than an art teacher. Jen notices Judy has some "passions" listed: Astrology, DIY, art, and wine. Well, wine she can definitely work with. 

The last section in her bio is a little surprising to Jen for some reason, it's flirty, yet cheesy, and shows that Judy's got some game. She's definitely attractive, and if Judy wants to be a "giver" for a night? That's exactly what Jen's looking for. 

She swipes right.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read Chapter 1 and for making it to Chapter 2.
> 
> I apologize for the dialogue- so, so much dialogue.
> 
> Big thanks to @realthicbitch and @cardeloons for their cheerleading skills!
> 
> This is unlike anything I've ever written, and it was really fun. If you have ever interacted with me or read my other fics, it should be no surprise a Tinder fic turned into a tender fic.
> 
> Hope y'all like it!

As soon as Jen swipes right on Judy, a screen she's never seen before pops up. It's Judy's picture,  _ IT'S A MATCH _ in huge letters over it. Then, smaller,  _ Judy likes you too, _ with a prompt to send her a message-  _ Say something nice. _

Jen feels a bit of a rush at the realization this means Judy swiped right on her already, it's flattering, but then sits with the thought that she has no idea what to do now. Men always message first. Is  _ she _ going to have to come up with a pickup line? Something non-threatening and non-sleazy? What would that even look like? What does she  _ say?! _ "Hi, I think you're really pretty and I haven't slept with a woman in 25 years but I'd really like you to fuck me"? Oh God. She's going to be the one to get unmatched now, isn't she? Luckily, she only has a couple of minutes to torment herself before a message pops up. 

_ Hi Jen, I'm Judy. It's nice to meet you! _

Relief floods through Jen's body as she reads the message, both because Judy reached out first, and because the message isn't weird. Well, it's kinda weird that she said "I'm Judy" when Jen clearly would already know that from her profile, but the cute and endearing kind of weird, like when people you communicate with regularly sign their name at the end of text messages. Okay, this is easy enough to respond to. 

_ Hi, Judy. It's nice to meet you too. _

_ I have a very important question to ask you, if you don't mind. _

'Oh fuck, here we go', Jen thinks. Here's where Judy shows her true crazy colors.

_ I'm tempted to say no, but sure, go ahead.  _

_ What did the person taking your third picture do to elicit that response? Just wondering so I don't make the same mistake. _

Jen smiles, and exhales; she can already tell her first impression of Judy was pretty spot-on. 

_ Oh, my friend took my picture when I wasn't looking. Unfortunately it doesn't take much to elicit that response from me. _

_ Oh, okay. I'll take that as a challenge then. Are you having a good night? _

Judy's a very subtle kind of flirt, and Jen likes it.

_ I'm in bed with a glass of wine so, yes. How about you? _

_ Same, except instead of wine I've invited chocolate chip cookies into my bed.  _

_ Sounds like that could get messy. _

_ Well, sometimes a mess in bed is worth the payoff. But these are pretty small, they don't get crumbs everywhere. _

That innuendo is a little less subtle, and Jen feels a warmth on her cheeks that isn't from the wine she's drinking. Judy's good at this, and she wants to up her flirting back, but can't think of anything to say; God, she's out of practice. She plays it safe instead. 

_ Entenmann's? _

_ Yeah! You know them? _

_ I do. I actually have some downstairs. We haven't reached the sleeping together part of our relationship yet. _

Jen smiles, proud of herself. 

_ Ah. What a shame. They're very satisfying. _

Chatting with this stranger is enjoyable, surprisingly so, and Jen feels confident enough to cut to the chase.

_ Would you like to get together sometime? _

She feels a rush of nerves as she awaits Judy's response.

_ You just dive right in, don't you? _ 😉

Jen's glad for the inclusion of the wink emoji, otherwise she might have felt she'd come on too strong. But it's Tinder, and they've held a conversation for a few minutes, that  _ has _ to be like the equivalent of three dates in the real world. 

_ Isn't that what we're doing here? _

_ Oh I'm definitely not complaining. I'd love to. If you like wine enough to take it to bed, there's a wine bar I've been wanting to try I bet you'd love. I heard they have good food, too. _

Wow, Judy is proposing a real date. A good one, even. Jen feels guilty for a moment at her motivations, then reminds herself that people do this all the time. A good date can lead to good (fingers crossed) sex and nothing more, and there's nothing wrong with that. 

They decide on a time for the following Saturday night, and Judy sends her the name and address of the wine bar. She also suggests that they exchange phone numbers so they don't have to message through the app if something comes up. While Jen is a bit hesitant, it would be easier, so she agrees. Then it seems like their chat has come to a logical conclusion, and Jen feels a slight twinge of disappointment for some reason. Probably because the only other adults she has had normal interactions with for the past several months are Christopher and Lorna ("normal" being used very loosely in the case of the latter). 

_ Good night, Jen. I'm really looking forward to meeting you in person.  _

_ Good night, Judy. Me too. _

As she plugs her phone in and gets ready to go to sleep, she's surprised how much she actually means it. 

*

Jen finds herself getting increasingly nervous as the week goes on, and she's trying to figure out why it feels so different than her other Tinder meet-ups. It's probably because the others happened very quickly after being set up, giving her less time to think about them. Or possibly the fact that she hasn't been with a woman in such a long time, and Judy seems like a very nice one, far too nice for her. The guilt of wanting to use her for sex creeps back in. It crescendos when she gets a text in the middle of the week. 

_ Hi, Jen. It's Judy. Are we still on for Saturday? I'm really excited! _

Jen feels her lips quirk up again at Judy's formal announcement of herself, even though she knows they exchanged numbers. It's so nice that she'd text like this, and such a far cry from her other experiences, it's refreshing... but maybe this is a mistake. She doesn't want Judy getting the wrong idea. But she hasn't even gone on the app since they "met", hasn't cared to see what her other options are, and she does still have an unfulfilled need, the dull ache she's carrying around. When she thinks of Judy's pictures... thinks about her describing herself as a "giver"... God, she really wants her to be the one to fulfill it, even if it is selfish. Realizing she's definitely over-thinking this, she shoots back a text, but is careful not to invite more conversation, doesn't want to be misleading. 

_ Yep, I'll be there. _

Judy doesn't respond after that, and Jen is afraid for a moment she went too far in the wrong direction, not showing any of the same enthusiasm Judy did. Then she shakes her head, tells herself to snap out of it, this is exactly the kind of thing that makes her not want to really date or be in a relationship again, who needs this stress?! Maybe she should have just fucked Tony in her backseat. All it would have cost her is a smidge of integrity and a car detailing. 

She brings up her concerns to Christopher on Friday, after they finish up some client meetings. 

"How do you know she's not doing the same thing? Maybe she also wants you for your bod," he says, raising an eyebrow suggestively. 

Jen glares at him, "Okay, first of all, never say "bod" again," he laughs, and she continues, "and she doesn't really seem like the type."

He shrugs, "Do you think  _ you _ seem like the type to her? Anyone can be the type that wants to get laid. She  _ is _ on Tinder." 

"True," Jen acquiesces, mind drifting to Judy's sweet smile. Why is she feeling...  _ disappointment _ that Judy could be on there looking for a hookup? Jesus, hypocritical much? 

"Where'd you go?" Chris' voice snaps her back to him.

"Huh?" She's confused. 

"You zoned out for a minute. You're really in your head about this, huh?"

"I guess so. I don't know why."

"Well, if you're worried about being an asshole, you could always tell her upfront you're looking for a one-time thing. Let her decide. Or just do what most people do, sleep with her then never talk to her again."

Jen nods, "Both appealing choices."

"But whatever you decide, can you promise me one thing?"

"Oh, now I'm scared."

He ignores her, "Have fun! Don't think too much about it, enjoy yourself! You're so  _ tense.  _ I don't want to be on the receiving end of whatever happens when you snap."

She flips him off.

"That's the spirit!" He wraps an arm around her shoulders and squeezes. "And if this doesn't work out you can always come to church with me, there's some singles groups there that-"

"Oh, fuck off."

*

Luckily for Jen, Lorna's been asking her for some time with the boys, so despite their (well, mostly Charlie's) protests, she drops them off at her place Saturday afternoon to stay the night. She's relieved that she won't have to explain to them where she's going that evening, because Charlie was right last time, she definitely wouldn't hang out with Christopher THAT often (or be so concerned with primping for him); it will also be good to have the house empty in case she wants to bring Judy back there. 

Predictably, Lorna tears up as they're saying goodbye at the door. "I hope you're taking care of yourself, Jennifer. You know, Teddy-"

Jen cuts her off, can't handle another lecture, "Yes, Lorna, I am. I'm actually planning to practice some self-care tonight." She laughs to herself on the way to her car, feeling excited and carefree, and impulsively pulls out her phone when she gets there. She sends the text before giving it a second thought. 

_ Can't wait to meet you tonight. _

Judy's response comes almost instantly. 

_ I can't wait either.  _ 😊

Jen's nerves flare back up as she's getting ready. Women aren't as easy as men, and she wants to look  _ good. _ She also knows her personality can leave a lot to be desired at times, especially lately; hopefully her rough edges won't clash too much with Judy's apparent softness. She looks in the mirror after curling her hair and applying her makeup, rolling her shoulders back and taking deep breaths. Christopher's words "Have fun! You're so tense!" echo in her mind as she sips on the small glass of wine she poured to help herself relax. She closes her eyes, savors it, lets it do its job. 

Jen slips into a burgundy blouse, buttons it up, leaving the top couple undone, then slides her thin black belt through the loops of her dark jeans, snaps the buckle closed as she takes another deep breath. She grabs her black blazer and black boots, heads downstairs, puts them on after she finishes her glass of wine, and surveys the house- it's clean enough to bring someone back to. They'd only be spending time upstairs in that case, anyway (her face flushes at the thought).

She gives herself a "This is just another Tinder hookup" pep talk as she walks out the door. 

*

Jen arrives a few minutes early, and is thankful for the opportunity to settle in and get her bearings. The place is nice, a good sized wine bar-slash- restaurant, and it appears there is a band getting set up for live music in one corner near a small dance floor. Jen requests a high-top table in another corner, so they can still hear the music but won't be overwhelmed by it. The tables are well spaced out so they should have a decent amount of privacy, with a good view of the bar. A young waitress brings over a wine list and two menus after a host seats her, and Jen finds herself saying, "I'll wait until my date gets here before I order anything. I will have a water, please."

The phrase "my date" gets her heart pumping, and she keeps her eyes trained on the door. It's just a couple of false alarms before Jen sees a petite woman walk in, and when she looks up, Jen knows it's Judy. The host is talking to her, and her eyes scan the place, clearly trying to see if Jen is there or not. Jen has to stop herself from waving like a fool. It doesn't take long for their eyes to catch, and Judy's instant grin shows that she recognizes her. She looks at the host, shakes her head with a sweet smile, and heads toward Jen, who now does lift up her hand in a small wave. 

Jen is glad again that she got there first, because she can take all of Judy in as she walks to the table. She's smaller than Jen had imagined, wearing wedge heels that give her an extra few inches of height. Her navy floral dress has short sleeves, a deep V-neck that reveals a hint of cleavage, cinched waist, and falls a few inches above her knees. Jen is trying not to ogle, but her eyes are scanning up and down- Judy has incredibly toned legs. As she gets closer and Jen can see her face more clearly, Jen knows already she's even more beautiful in person than in her pictures- the kind of beauty Jen might feel envious of in another woman, if that woman weren't meeting her for a date. Instead, she feels... lucky. 

Judy's smile gets brighter as she comes right up to Jen, and Jen feels one spread across her face in response. Judy has the kind of smile that must be returned. Jen's a little surprised when Judy sticks her hand out, but she takes it.

"Hi. I'm Judy."

"Jen."

Judy's hand is small in hers, and warm, but Jen can feel that she's wearing several rings, they feel cool against her skin in contrast. 

"It's so nice to meet you," Judy says, hand still in hers, and Jen is taking the opportunity to look at her eyes- brown in pictures, but "brown" doesn't do them justice- something like dark honey when the light catches them. Judy's smiling softly at her, and Jen realizes she's being really fucking creepy and should probably stop staring and say something. 

"You too," she finally says (smooth) as she lets go of Judy's hand. Judy has to climb up to settle onto her chair, and Jen watches her dress ride up a bit. Judy's voice snaps Jen's attention back to her face. 

"I hope you haven't been waiting long."

"Oh, no. I've been here about five minutes."

"Okay, good," Judy looks relieved, and they keep each other's gaze for a moment. Jen feels it, the beginning of a first date nerves, she hasn't felt this in such a long time- before conversation really gets going and you have no clue who the person you're sitting across from is, or where to start in figuring it out. Her brain is scrambling for something to say when their waitress saves her. 

"Hi! Welcome in, I'm Angie and I'll be taking care of you this evening," she focuses on Judy, "your date said she was waiting on you to order, have you decided on anything?"

Judy absolutely beams at her, it almost hurts Jen's eyes for a moment, like staring directly at the sun. "Do you have any preference on wine? White or red?" She asks Jen. 

"Nope," Jen shakes her head, "I'm an equal opportunity wine drinker."

"Then may I?" She gestures to the wine list.

"Please."

Judy scans the list, then looks back up at Angie, who is waiting patiently. "We'll start with a bottle of your Pinot Noir, and do you have a charcuterie board?" 

"Yes ma'am, we do."

"Then we'll have one of those as well. Thank you so much, Angie," Judy gives her a warm smile. 

Angie nods, "Coming right up!" and walks off. 

Judy looks back at Jen, "Sorry, I hope you don't mind- I'm starving! Didn't eat lunch today."

Jen shakes her head, "Of course not. Did you have a busy day?" She takes a sip of water, happy for an easy conversation starter. 

Judy nods, "I did. I had a couple of art classes and had to work on a painting I'm finishing up for a client."

"Where do you teach art?" Jen is surprised she'd have classes on a Saturday, had imagined her as a school teacher for some reason. 

"I teach senior citizens at the retirement home a couple of blocks over," Judy smiles, "I love it."

"Oh, okay. I bet they really enjoy that."

"They do! For the most part, they really appreciate it and it brings them a lot of joy, I think. There are of course the grumps that act like it's a pain in their ass to be there, but I make it my mission to get them to smile."

"I don't see how they couldn't smile at you," Jen replies, not meaning for it to sound like a line, but as soon as it comes out, she realizes it does. Especially when she sees the (very attractive) blush on Judy's cheeks. "Shit, that was lame, I'm sorry," Jen laughs a little. 

Judy's nose scrunches up adorably, "Don't apologize. I liked it." Jen feels strangely happy at that. 

They're just looking at each other again when Angie comes back with their bottle of wine and two glasses. As she's filling them up, another waiter drops off the food. 

Jen and Judy take sips of their wine at the same time, nodding in approval at each other, then Jen watches as Judy loads some crackers, cheese and veggies onto her plate. "You can have the meat, I'm a vegetarian."

Jen isn't surprised by this, it seems very on brand, and nods as she gets a sampling of everything onto her own plate. "So, you said you were also working on a painting for a client. What kind of paintings do you do?"

Judy smiles again, a bit bashfully this time, "People hire me to paint portraits of their pets. They don't like, sit for the paintings or anything. I go off of pictures."

Jen feels her eyes widen, thinks something like that sounds ridiculous, and her face has never been good at NOT showing her thoughts. She's hoping it isn't too obvious, but Judy blushes, this time from embarrassment Jen's sure, and looks down. Jen feels a rush of guilt and is about to apologize when Judy looks up.

"I know, it sounds really weird. But I used to paint as a way to channel my own sadness, then I started going to therapy and didn't need that outlet any more. This is a way for me to bring happiness to other people."

"That sounds really nice," Jen says in a rush, sincere, apologetic; she wonders, too, what kind of sadness Judy has had to deal with, but thinks that might be too much to ask.

Judy continues, "Last month a man hired me to paint a portrait for his wife. Their chihuahua of 14 years had recently passed away. She sent me a handwritten thank you note and told me how much it meant to her."

She's so sincere, it comes out in her words and through her eyes as they look into Jen's. And just like that, something that at first seemed weird is now endearing. Jen takes a big sip of wine, breaking their eye contact because all of a sudden it feels like too much. Judy doesn't dwell on it, instead shifting the focus to Jen.

"What about you? I know you're a realtor. Do you enjoy it?" 

Jen nods, "I do. It pays the bills. And I'm in business with my friend, Christopher, so that makes it pretty fun."

Judy's eyes light up, "Oh cool! So did you have to work today? I know weekends can be really busy in real estate."

"I didn't actually, no. Spent some time with my sons before taking them to my mother-in-law's for the night," she falters, realizing she should probably clarify, "Well, ex mother-in-law, I guess? I'm not sure what to call her, since my husband passed away."

Judy's eyes soften with sympathy, immediately shine with tears. Jen hates this part, but has learned to suffer through it. "I'm so sorry. How long ago?"

"A little over six months. Heart attack," Jen answers, taking another sip of wine, hoping Judy takes the hint that she doesn't want to stay on this topic long. 

"Well, I'm sure that's not the best first date chat but, I'll talk about it however much or little you want," it's so simple, so  _ genuine, _ and Jen releases the breath she's holding, immediately at ease again. 

"Thank you."

Judy smiles, "Sure. So, your sons, you have two, right? How old are they? Are they doing okay?" Then it's like she catches herself, adds quickly, "Sorry. You don't have to answer that."

Jen shakes her head, "No, it's fine. They're good. The first couple of months were really tough, and they miss him, but they're resilient, they're so strong. They've been my rocks, really. Charlie is 16 and Henry is 10."

Jen notices a sadness pass across Judy's face, it's gone in a flash, but it was there. "Henry," Judy smiles, "I love that name."

Now Jen's really curious, "Is there a story there?" She's surprised by how much she cares to know. 

"Umm..." Judy hesitates, but doesn't look uncomfortable, so Jen decides to push a bit. 

"Come on, I told you about my dead husband," she teases.

"Touche," Judy nods, pauses, but continues, "Well, I always wanted to be a mom but it, uh... it wasn't meant to be. My second pregnancy, the baby was a boy, and we named him Henry," she takes a sip of wine. "We stopped naming them after that."

Jen's heart jumps into her throat, and she feels tears in her own eyes. She can't really speak for a moment as she looks at Judy, who doesn't look heartbroken, doesn't look like she's after pity- just gives her a small smile, and Jen sees a combination of strength and vulnerability that is incredibly attractive. 

"How-" Jen clears her throat, "-how many were there? If you don't mind me asking."

"Five."

"Fuck, Judy, I'm so sorry. Were you married?"

"Engaged. It wasn't the best relationship, and we broke up not long after my fifth miscarriage. I guess I thought having a family was the most important thing... when it was clear that wasn't going to happen, it was clear the relationship was wrong, too. Therapy helped with that," she smiles, "still helps with that."

Jen is amazed at that moment with how much Judy smiles. She notices her smile lines again, something that stood out to her when she first saw Judy's pictures- now she understands they're a product of all that Judy's been through, all she feels. Yet she still seems... happy. Joyful, even. Jen's a bit envious. 

Jen doesn't do this. Jen doesn't  _ take _ to people. Especially not people like Judy. Then again, maybe she's never met someone like Judy. There's a pull in her heart- something she wasn't expecting, something she's not welcoming, and she decides this is the time to make her intentions clear. 

She looks down for a moment, messes with the food on her plate to stall, then decides to just be honest. "Look, I appreciate you being honest with me and telling me all that. You're obviously a great person. I want to be honest with you, too." Jen looks back up and Judy's eyes are right on her. 

"Of course."

"I've been- I've been kind of a mess since Ted died. Well, longer than that if I'm really being honest. I haven't dated in over twenty years, and I'm not really looking to date or for a relationship. I was more looking for a one-time kind of thing." She feels her face get hot, it's not easy to say that out loud.

Something flashes across Judy's face- Jen thinks it's disappointment- and suddenly Jen feels like a total bitch for saying this after Judy was so vulnerable with her. She thinks she's made a mistake. Then Judy's face changes, her lips quirk up a bit. "Okay," she says, simply. 

Jen is shocked. "Really? That's okay?"

Judy nods, casual, like it isn't a big deal at all. "One thing I've learned over the years is to enjoy people for the time I have them in my life," her smile turns into something more like a smirk, "I guess I'll have to really enjoy you tonight."

Jen continues to be surprised by this woman. Like was hinted at in her Tinder profile, Judy  _ does _ have game, and Jen wants to respond, say something about how much she wants Judy to enjoy her, but she's a bit speechless. She's NEVER speechless. 

Judy seems to sense this, and her voice turns teasing. "So I'm just another notch in your belt, huh?" She's grinning, and there's no judgment behind her words, but Jen feels the need to explain.

"No, it's not like that," Jen shakes her head, "I, um... let's just say I haven't had good sex in a long time."

Judy quirks an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

Jen grabs the bottle of wine and fills their glasses back up with the rest of it. For some reason, she feels comfortable talking to Judy about this, but a little more wine will help. She takes a few sips. "Almost three years ago, I had a double mastectomy," she sees Judy's eyes widen, "I wasn't sick. My mom died of breast cancer when I was 19. I have the gene for it, and I wanted to make sure the same thing didn't happen to me, to my kids. Losing her so young was really tough on me."

Judy nods, eyes serious, shining with empathy. "I'm sure it was. That's so brave. I can't imagine how tough it would be to make that decision."

Jen scoffs, "Well, my husband thought the opposite. He thought I was being a coward. He hated my body after that. He wouldn't touch me. I'm pretty sure he was having an affair... and then he died." She takes another large sip of wine, tilting her head back as she swallows. When her gaze levels off again she sees Judy's never left her.

Judy reaches over, rests her hand on top of Jen's, big brown eyes holding hers. "I'm sorry you lost him like that. And I'm sorry the last memories you have with him aren't good ones. I hope with time that pain fades and you're able to focus on the happy times you had together."

Jen's taken aback. No one has said anything like that to her. Not that she'd talked to anyone but Christopher about the state of her marriage, but in all of the people who have hugged her, tried to comfort her, brought her terrible food, no one has said anything quite as impactful and that Jen needed to hear... not until Judy, this stranger from Tinder. She opens her mouth to respond but Judy speaks again first. 

"I have to say I disagree with him. You're incredibly brave, and I've been trying to look respectfully, but you..." Judy lets out a low whistle as she starts running her fingertips softly over the back of Jen's hand. The tip of Judy's tongue sneaks out of her mouth to wet her lips, Jen can still see it between her perfectly white teeth as Judy takes her time, eyes seeming to travel everywhere that's visible of Jen, and it makes her squirm. Jen thinks even if she wasn't seeing what Judy was doing, she'd be able to feel it- and it feels fucking  _ good. _ Finally, Judy's eyes settle back on hers, and it's hard to know for sure with the lighting in the restaurant, but Jen swears they look darker. "You're heaven on a stick."

Jen is feeling very warm all of a sudden, and a whole mess of other things- too much to really process- so she just flips her hand over and laces her fingers with Judy's, squeezes tight. The warmth of skin, the coolness of rings grounding her. "Thank you."

Judy seems to understand, doesn't ask for clarification, just smiles and nods, then takes a sip of wine, eyes shifting away from Jen's for a moment. She opens her mouth to say something when Angie approaches. "How are we doing? Do you want to order some more food? I see you liked the Pinot, would you like another bottle?"

Jen blinks, she kind of forgot there were other people around, and looks down to see they still have quite a bit of food left. She's been doing more talking than eating, and doesn't want to get too full. Another bottle of wine sounds appealing, though. "Umm..." she looks at Judy.

Judy lets go of her hand to grab the wine list and give it to Jen. "How about you pick a bottle this time? And I think I'm good on food, but maybe we could get dessert in a bit?"

Jen nods and looks down at the menu, thinking about how she'd rather still be holding Judy's hand, then pushes that out of her mind, what the fuck. "How about a white this time? Sauvignon blanc?"

"Perfect."

Angie walks away and Judy picks the conversation right back up, after taking a few bites of cheese and crackers. "So," she swallows, and Jen follows the movement, her throat is so delicate- "that's why you got on Tinder, then? Heard it was good for finding a one night stand?" Her cheeky grin is back, and Jen thinks they're both feeling more comfortable with each other, sharing your deepest secrets will do that, and alcohol helps, too.

"Something like that," Jen smiles, "but I haven't had good luck. So far."

"Well I absolutely  _ must _ hear about this bad luck you've had. I don't want to repeat history."

Jen bursts out laughing, "There's no fucking way you could."

Their second bottle of wine arrives then, glasses are poured, and Jen tells Judy all about her experiences with Dave and Tony, Judy laughing (respectfully) all the while- Jen loves her laugh, so she adds in some of the messages she's received. Judy  _ really _ loses it when Jen mentions being confused about why she'd need to bring grapefruit over to a man's house, but won't explain what the fuck it means. She just tells her to look up "the grapefruit method" later.

Judy is wiping away tears when Jen is done, and asks, "I'm the first woman you've met on Tinder, then?"

"Yes," Jen affirms. "My friend Chris suggested I "broaden my horizons" and so far it seems like it was good advice." 

Judy smiles, clearly happy to hear that, but still has a curious look on her face, "But you've- um- you've been with women before?" She gets almost shy asking it, and it's very cute. 

"I have. Decades ago." They look at each other for a few moments, and Jen's thinking she can't remember holding so much eye contact with someone, especially someone she's just met, and feels the need to break the tension. "Well, I told you mine. You  _ must _ have some Tinder experiences you can share with me. What made you join?"

"Of course I do. I think that's half the fun of Tinder, the horror stories. They should really put that in an advertising campaign," Judy smirks as she takes a sip of wine. "Oh that's good! Great choice. Anyway, well a few months ago I had gone through a breakup-"

"With your fiance?" Jen cuts in.

"No," Judy shakes her head, "Steve and I broke up over a year ago. A couple of months after that, I met a woman at work. Her mom was a resident at the retirement home. We were together for about six months, and it was great, really. We just ended up being  _ too _ similar, and weren't really compatible long-term. It was a beautiful relationship, though, and we're still friendly. But after that, I realized it was kind of hard to meet new people, so I decided to join Tinder. Not really looking for anything specific, but I love getting to know different kinds of people, make new friends... sex isn't bad either, in the right situation. I haven't found any real connections, though, yet."

"That makes sense," Jen nods, Judy's right, at their age, meeting new people for any kind of relationship is tough. 

"And as far as experiences to share... hmmm..." she rests an elbow on the table, drums her fingers along her chin, and Jen finds herself staring at her hand. "None quite as colorful as yours. But one guy took me to Disneyland-"

"Oh, gross," Jen scrunches her face in disgust. 

Judy laughs, "You are  _ in _ for it if you think that's the bad part."

"I'm legitimately terrified now," Jen mumbles, half at Judy, half into her wine glass, and Judy grins. It's remarkably easy for Jen to make her smile and laugh, and it's really,  _ really _ enjoyable.

"So, Todd and I were in line for Space Mountain, we went there first before it got too busy-"

_ "Todd? _ That name is so douchey. Never swipe right on a Todd."

Judy giggles, which was Jen's goal, "I don't think that's exactly fair-"

"Just so douchey."

_ "Anyway,"  _ Judy continues, undeterred, "when we were in line he all of a sudden put his hand on my back and started to pray. He prayed that God would protect us on the rides and that He bless our 'new relationship'."

"You're fucking kidding!" bursts out of Jen with a laugh. "This was your first date?"

"Yep," Judy nods, "so after he was done, I asked him if he was really religious, and he talked about it a little bit. Which is fine, I mean I'm more spiritual than religious, but I have no problem with it. Then I was teasing him, I asked why he didn't get on a Christian dating site instead of Tinder... and he said 'I tried that, the women on those sites don't put out.' Then he  _ winked _ at me."

"Ha! I knew it! DOUCHE!" It comes out a little louder than Jen intended, and they're both laughing. She's grateful the live music has started (a woman's sultry voice singing covers of older songs giving their conversation a nice backdrop), or they might have half the bar looking at them. "So what did you do?"

"I ditched him pretty quickly after that. I felt kind of bad because he got the tickets, but I think they were free from work or something."

"Did you leave him alone in the line?"

"Oh, no," Judy's aghast at the idea, "I stayed to ride Space Mountain. I'm not a  _ monster." _

"Of course not," Jen can hear a fondness in her voice that she didn't even mean to convey. She feels warm again, and takes a few sips of the water she's been neglecting all night. "Alright, you owe me one more horror story."

Judy grimaces, "Ugh, the other one is too embarrassing."

"Really? More embarrassing than two pump chump and the guy who wanted to rail me in my backseat?"

"Okay okay, fair enough," Judy throws her hands up in defeat. "Well, when I first got Tinder I didn't always look at profiles and pictures close enough, and if I saw anything I liked, or if I got a good vibe from someone for some reason I would swipe right. There was a woman I saw who was really attractive, and she had a unicorn emoji in her bio which I thought was really cute-"

Jen almost spits out the wine she's drinking. "NO!"

"Yep," Judy nods, putting a forlorn face on, "classic story. I showed up at her place to find her, and her husband, waiting for me, expecting a nice threesome. They were pretty disappointed when I told them, very politely of course, I wasn't interested." 

"I bet they were. I would be," Jen flirts as she makes a show of checking Judy out, quirking an eyebrow. The wine has definitely helped lower her inhibitions, and this is so much  _ fun. _ Judy blushes and looks down, Jen thinks it makes her look even prettier, but just asks, "I guess you high-tailed it out of there?"

"No, actually... I stayed and hung out awhile, we had some drinks and played some card games. Nice couple."

"Are you serious?!"

"Yes."

Jen can't get over it. Judy really is THAT genuine. 'And THAT beautiful,' she thinks as they both drink some of their newly poured glasses of wine, eyes not leaving each other's. Jen feels like there's a magnetic pull and she can't bear to look away. Judy looks away first, glancing towards the band, "They're good," she says, and Jen hums in agreement, can't really focus on anything other than the perfect slant of Judy's nose when their waitress comes back, sliding a dessert menu on their table and clearing away their empty plates. 

"I'll let you two peruse the dessert menu, would you like anything else to drink?"

Jen thinks she's probably had enough, she's feeling  _ good _ but doesn't want to get drunk. She looks at Judy who shakes her head, cheeks a more permanent pink now from alcohol, clearly on the same page. "No, thank you. Just some refills on water when you get the chance."

Judy turns the menu so they can both see it, and Jen leans forward on her elbows, bringing her face closer to Judy's. She can smell her now, something floral and sweet and it makes her slightly dizzy. She tries to focus on the menu. "What's your favorite dessert?" Judy asks. 

"Cherry pie," Jen answers without hesitation, "but they don't seem to have that. What about you?"

Judy looks up at her, Jen notices how long her eyelashes are, how perfectly shaped her eyebrows- "Carrot cake. They don't have that either," she looks back down, eyes scanning, biting her lip in thought, Jen knows she's staring but doesn't care to stop, "Oooh! I do love creme brulee! Do you want to split it?"

Jen nods, "Sure," when truthfully, dessert is the last thing on her mind.

Angie comes back with fresh waters, takes their dessert order, and they're alone again, finishing off the last bit of their wine. Jen's head is swimming and she knows it's not from the alcohol alone. She needs to get talking again to distract herself, and there's something she's been curious about.

"One more Tinder-related question," she says, holding up her index finger at Judy. 

"I think I can handle that."

"What made you swipe right on me?" She feels embarrassed as soon as she asks, Judy's already shown she finds her attractive, but the ego wants what it wants. 

"Hmmmm..." Judy puts on a face like she's deep in thought, then smiles when she meets Jen's eyes. "You're obviously gorgeous, but you also looked  _ real," _ she begins, and Jen shouldn't be surprised it's the same exact thought she had when she saw Judy. "So many people are putting up a front, but I could tell you weren't- the picture of you flipping off the camera made me laugh, and I usually find that people who have less written about themselves are more interesting. There's more to find out when someone isn't an open book. And..." she hesitates, but Jen is enthralled. 

"What?"

"It's going to sound lame," Judy shakes her head, shy. ('So cute,' Jen thinks.)

"Tell me," Jen pleads, softly, in a voice she barely recognizes as her own.

It's obvious Judy won't deny her. "Your last picture... it looked like it was a professional one?" Jen nods, and Judy keeps going, "It was beautiful. But I could tell that the smile was kind of fake... no offense! I wanted to see if I could find your real smile. I knew it'd be worth seeing."

Jen feels herself blushing, hard, and some kind of swooping feeling low in her stomach. She starts to grin, but bites it back a bit- a long- held habit.

"There!" Judy exclaims, triumphant. "I'm getting closer." Her own grin has overtaken her face, Jen knows already she never holds it back, and she shouldn't, it's too beautiful. Jen wants to tell her that, but not for the first time tonight, she's having trouble forming the words. "What about me?" Judy asks before Jen can gather her thoughts. 

"Sorry?" Jen's lost the thread of the conversation.

"Why did you swipe right?"

Immediately, Judy's first picture pops into her mind. "Your face," she blurts out, without thinking, and Judy lets out a surprised little laugh, making Jen laugh, too. "Sorry," shakes her head, as if that'll clear it, "You looked real, too. And I thought you were one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. Plus, no unicorn references."

"Your standards were high, then."

"Very. Oh, and the 'giver' line didn't hurt." She meant for it to be lighthearted, teasing; her voice comes out lower than she'd intended, betraying her. 

Judy definitely notices, and her eyes flare. "You liked that?"

Jen nods, gaining confidence. "Yes."

Judy's eyes turn playful again. They show everything she's feeling, and Jen kind of loves it. "It was a little bolder than I'd normally be, but I was high when I wrote it and never bothered to change it. Now I'm glad I didn't."

Every time the air has been thick enough to cut with a knife, Angie shows up, and this time is no exception; their creme brulee is delivered. Jen sighs, damn the prompt service at this place. Judy's eyes light up at seeing it, though, so it's okay, and Jen watches as she takes a bite- it's the first time Jen has ever felt jealous of a spoon as Judy closes her eyes and hums around it, pleased. "Delicious."

Jen digs in too, and it is very good. They don't talk as they eat, but both bob their heads along to the music, a cover of "Gypsy" by Fleetwood Mac, smiling at each other. At one point, Judy brings a hand up to brush her bangs out of her eyes, and Jen is struck with the desire to reach out and do it for her. She doesn't know what is going on, and why she's feeling so fucking  _ soft. _ That's not her.

They finish the dessert, and Judy asks Angie for the bill to be split when she comes back, despite Jen's protests. Judy waves her off. As they wait for the check, Jen is growing increasingly nervous. What happens next? Judy speaks up, as if she can read her mind. 

"Okay, Jen. Looks like we're about done here. If you want to get into my pants, you have to play along with the date a little longer. Deal?" She sounds very businesslike, but Jen can see the sparkle in her eyes. 

Jen lets the grin spread across her face this time. "Sure. One problem, though."

Concern passes over Judy's face, replacing her smirk. "What's that?"

"You're not wearing pants."

Her smile is back as she looks down. "Oh, true. I rarely do."

"Makes sense. I wouldn't either if I had your legs."

"You like those?"

"I do. Didn't get  _ nearly _ a long enough glimpse of them, though."

"We'll remedy that." 

Judy's so good at flirting, she makes Jen feel like she can give just as good as she gets. "I can't wait," she says, and she fucking  _ means _ it. Her body is singing, she's more attracted to Judy every passing second and they've barely touched, separated by a table all night. 

There's Angie's cue to bring the checks, and as Jen gets out her credit card, she glances at her phone, sees a text from Chris: 

_ Hope you're having fun and she lasts longer than the other guy! _

Jen swallows down a laugh, and is shocked to see the time- they've been here almost three hours. It felt like five minutes. As they sign the bills, the band is coming back from a quick break. Judy looks at Jen. "A dance before we go?"

It means they'll be closer, and though it's not exactly what Jen's craving, she did make a deal. She nods, and they both stand up. Judy takes her hand and leads her across the bar to the dance floor as the music starts back up. They stand there, neither making the first move to get closer and just looking at each other when the singer's voice cuts through the air.

_ Never know how much I love you _

_ Never know how much I care _

Jen doesn't know if she should curse or be thankful it's such a sexy song, but in a moment of boldness she reaches out and pulls Judy close to her, hands on her waist. Judy lets out a little gasp and Jen feels it. All over. 

"I didn't really think this through. I'm not a good dancer," Judy murmurs. 

Jen nods, "That's okay, I am. Follow my lead."

Judy wraps her arms around Jen's neck and it's not much of a dance, more of a sway, but Judy is able to match her rhythm and God, it's hot. If Jen's body was singing before it's absolutely on fire now, Judy pressed against her, face close, smell engulfing her. Judy's mouth is close to her ear when she sings along, quietly,

_ you give me fever when you kiss me _

_ fever when you hold me tight _

Jen's shudders, she can't help it, and Judy pulls back to look at her. Jen can see in her eyes what she's going to do and sucks in a breath as Judy lifts her face up (Jen guesses she's got about an inch on her) and brushes her lips softly against Jen's, so soft they barely even touch, it's a whisper of a kiss and still, one of the hottest things Jen's ever experienced. The only thought screaming through Jen's mind is  _ more, _ but they're still in public and she can't seem to open her eyes.

"Hey," Judy's low voice snaps Jen out of it and her eyes to Judy. "Wanna get out of here?"

"Yes," Jen's answering before Judy even finishes the question, and Judy smiles at her as she grabs her hand again. 

They step outside; it's dark now, gotten a bit cooler, and Judy turns to face her. "Okay, there's one more place I want to take you. We'll need the blankets I have in my car so I'll drive. I'm parked down the street."

Jen's impatient, but intrigued, and trusts her. "Okay," she sees Judy shiver, "aren't you cold? Here," she starts to take off her blazer and Judy shakes her head.

"No, I'm okay!"

"As good as you look in that dress, it doesn't cover much. I have long sleeves on, I'll be fine." Jen helps Judy shrug into it, pulling the sleeves down, they're a little long, but it fits pretty well. It looks sexy as hell, which Jen realizes she's said out loud when Judy's eyes flash in response. 

"Thank you," she says, so sweetly, as Jen reaches out to untuck Judy's hair from the shoulders of the blazer, she marvels at its softness as she smoothes it down. It's a moment that feels so intimate, especially with how Judy's eyes are staring into hers, an intimacy she couldn't have fathomed sharing with a person she's just met. 

Jen decides they shouldn't stand there forever. "You're welcome. Shall we?" 

Judy leads her to her car, and Jen's expecting the mustang from her Tinder picture- yet she's somehow not surprised when she's led to a Prius instead. "Here we are!" Judy announces as she unlocks it, and Jen climbs into the passenger seat.

"What happened to your mustang?" Jen asks as they get moving.

"What?" Judy looks confused for a second, then realization dawns on her and she laughs. "Oh, that was a gift from my ex. He let me keep it after we broke up... I sold it and bought this. Much more eco-friendly."

"Of course," Jen smiles (in the span of three hours that's become her body's natural reaction almost any time Judy speaks, or looks at her). 

The rest of the drive is quiet, and it doesn't take long for Jen to figure out where they're going with the direction Judy’s heading. They get out of the car once they're parked at the beach, and Judy grabs a couple of blankets from her backseat.

"Do you always have blankets back there?"

"Yes," Judy answers, almost sounds like a "duh".

"In case you want to sit on the beach?"

"Exactly." She looks at Jen, tosses her a blanket and grins. They walk just a little bit when Judy stops and they settle in, one blanket under them and one covering their legs, thighs touching. "This is my favorite spot," Judy explains as she pulls something out of her purse. "It always makes me feel at peace."

"I can see why," Jen looks around, taking in the gentle waves and the moon, a smattering of stars overhead.

"This helps too." Jen looks over to see Judy holding up a joint, "Thoughts on pot?"

Jen raises her eyebrows. "Well, Ted and I used to smoke a lot, but it's been a while since it was a regular thing for me. I did confiscate a joint from my son a couple months ago though, and I couldn't let it go to waste."

"Shall we?"

In Jen's past, weed has really heightened sexual experiences- if she doesn't smoke too much and pass out. The thought is very,  _ very _ enticing. She nods, "Just a couple of hits though. Don't want to be out of my mind."

Jen watches Judy- hair blowing in the light wind, joint between her pink lips, one hand cupped around the lighter as the other flicks it to light. Jen wants her lips on hers again, wants to fully taste them, but sharing the joint will have to do for now. Judy sucks in a deep breath, holds it, and passes the joint to Jen. Lips now where Judy's were a moment ago, another intimacy she hasn't shared with anyone since Ted.

They pass it back and forth a couple of times and then Jen is done- she closes her eyes and enjoys the feeling. Combined with her slight tipsiness from the wine, and the effect just being around Judy is having on her, the weed has really brought it all together. She feels fucking  _ fantastic, _ and starts laughing, at nothing in particular. She lets the breeze cool her skin, it's almost like it's tingling, then opens her eyes to look at Judy who's smiling back at her. What's coursing through her veins can best be described as freedom. Freedom from the pain, the grief, the anger, the tension she's been holding onto for so long. She watches as Judy puts out the joint, pinching the lit end between her fingertips.

"Oh my God! Didn't that hurt?!" She grabs Judy's hand to inspect it, alarmed. 

Judy cracks up, "No. Are you okay? Was this a mistake?"

"Definitely  _ not _ a mistake," Jen answers, clasping Judy's hand in hers, resting them on her leg as she looks up at the sky. They sit in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes, then Jen asks, "You like astronomy, right? It was in your profile?"

Judy giggles, but doesn't answer.

"What?" Jen side-eyes her.

_ "Astrology.  _ You know, like," she drops her voice an octave, waggles her eyebrows, "hey baby, what's your sign?" Jen laughs, nods, and Judy's normal voice is back, "But stars are also beautiful."

Jen tears her eyes away from Judy to shift her gaze back up at the stars. "They are. Do you ever look up at all of them and realize how insignificant we are?" Jen tends to have very deep thoughts when high, and thinking about the ever-expanding universe is definitely a deep thought. 

"Yeah, sometimes I feel like that. Like I'm totally insignificant and nothing matters." Jen looks back at Judy when she pauses, watches as she looks up at the sky. "Then other times, I feel like I'm exactly where I'm meant to be. Even if it's just for a moment. That can't be insignificant. "

Now she's looking at Jen. Really looking at her, like she's  _ worth _ looking at, like she's worth  _ knowing. _ It hits Jen then, full force, nearly takes her breath away- she doesn't know the last time someone looked at her like that. She's been a fool to think she's simply  _ horny. _ She's also deeply lonely, has yearned for significant connection, not just physical- for years. She's felt that way, deep down in her bones, for so long that she didn't even know it. It's a part of her. There was never even a hint that part of her could go away... until now.

In this moment of clarity, Jen truly realizes, and  _ accepts, _ even through the slight fog in her brain- Judy isn't a person she's going to be able to spend just one night with. The feelings she's been pushing down all night wash over her like a tidal wave as she stops fighting them. "Come here," she whispers, tugging on Judy's hand, and although they're sitting as close as possible, Judy knows what Jen wants, and doesn't have to be asked twice. She wordlessly climbs onto Jen's lap under the blanket, knees settling on either side of her hips. She leans down to rest her hands on Jen's face as Jen reaches up, and their lips meet again, full force this time, Jen's hands lacing together behind Judy's neck. 

It's incredible, and all Jen can do is  _ feel- _ soft hair, soft breasts, everything about Judy is soft, but strong, and Jen tries to pull her closer, wants to soak her in, as if through osmosis Judy's softness can dull some of the sharp edges Jen has spent years meticulously whittling. She thinks maybe it already is.

When Judy slips her tongue into Jen's mouth, softly stroking hers, the sensations that overtake her body are so overwhelming and delicious she's practically shaking. Her hands reflexively make their way to Judy's ass, gripping tight. Judy's hot tongue and the way she's rhythmically pressing her hips down against Jen's is the most erotic thing she's experienced in years. It lasts a few minutes, a few hours, Jen has no idea, but when she can't take it anymore she pulls back. Judy's eyes look as wild and lips as swollen as she imagines hers do. It's a moment before Jen can speak.

"I never thought I'd get arrested for public indecency but it might be fucking worth it. I'm game if you are."

Judy throws her head back and laughs, and Jen can't stand the space between them, pulls her back close so she can feel the vibration of Judy's laughter as she buries her face into her neck. Then Jen's laughing, too, chest and cheeks and  _ everywhere _ filled with warmth. 

"Your place or mine?" Jen asks, doesn't care how fucking corny it sounds. 

"My apartment is about 15 minutes away."

"My house is five."

"Yours."

"Mine," Jen says at the same time, smiles, then can't help but lean in to kiss her again. "Let's go."

*

Jen tells Judy they can take an Uber, but Judy insists she's fine to drive, and five minutes later they're pulling up to the house. Jen gets out her keys to let them in and Judy looks around as they approach the kitchen. "Wow! Your home is so beautiful."

Jen looks her up and down, winks, and says, "It just got even more beautiful."

Judy grins, "You're really embracing the corny pick-up lines now, huh?"

"Is it too much?" Jen scrunches her nose, tilts her head. 

"Oh, no. I find it absolutely adorable. Like everything else about you." Judy comes up to her, bops her on the nose with her index finger. 

Jen doesn't think anyone has ever called her "adorable" in her life, but coming from Judy, she believes it. She smiles and turns away from Judy, as much as she hates to do it, she needs some water. A product of smoking weed. "I have cotton mouth like a mother fucker. You want some water?"

"Ha! That's one way to put it, I do too... yes, please. Can I also use your restroom?"

Jen points her in the direction of the downstairs bathroom and takes some deep breaths as she pours them each a glass of water. She feels at ease, really, not so much nervous as  _ excited,  _ but her whole view and goal of the night has shifted, and she doesn't want to mess it up. Somehow it feels like with Judy, it'd be impossible to- but Jen has too much of a negative track record to feel completely confident with herself. 

She walks over to the bottom of the stairs, and when Judy comes out of the bathroom, she holds out her hand to lead her up. When they get to the bedroom, Jen says "I need to use the restroom, too," and Judy sits down on the edge of the bed with her glass of water; she looks really,  _ really _ good there. Jen pees, she's amazed she made it through the whole night and two bottles of wine without having to, and then washes her hands and gets out her toothbrush. Dry mouth really is one of the worst effects of smoking. She begins to brush her teeth and opens the door to the bedroom, sees Judy looking at a picture of the boys on her nightstand. 

She turns to her, eyes shining, "They're so handsome." Jen smiles around her toothbrush in response, isn't going to make a fool of herself trying to say something. "Oh!" Judy exclaims. "Do you have some mouthwash I can use?" Jen nods, and Judy follows her back into the bathroom. 

Jen hands it to her, and as she finishes up brushing her teeth, she looks at their reflection in the mirror, Judy gargling mouthwash, her spitting out toothpaste, and her heart clenches with  _ something. _ Now, she feels nervous. She grabs her glass of water and brings it with her to the bed, sitting down on the edge so her feet touch the ground. She takes off her boots as she waits, and Judy walks out of the bathroom, looks at her and follows her lead, kicking out of her wedges before padding over to Jen. Jen takes this chance to look at Judy's legs again, staring, they're seriously fucking perfect, like she assumes all of her is. 

Jen sucks in a breath as Judy reaches her, seductive look on her sweet face now, and she gently pushes Jen's knees apart to step between them. Jen's eyes are level with Judy's cleavage, and she licks her lips as Judy brings her hands up to run through Jen's hair, fingernails rough yet gentle on her scalp, and  _ God.  _ Jen can't remember ever feeling like this, closes her eyes to savor it. "Open your eyes," Judy says, gentle, and Jen obeys. Judy smiles, and Jen thinks again how perfect her face is. "You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen," Judy tells her, "I've had a hard time looking away from them all night. You're stunning." She makes Jen believe it.

"You are," is all Jen can manage before reaching up to pull Judy's face closer, joining their mouths again, and what she felt on the beach is back, nothing holding her back this time. Soon she's pawing at Judy's dress, pulling away to breathe out, "Off," and Judy obliges. Jen begins unbuttoning her own shirt as she watches Judy, dress up and over her head, revealing a pale pink lace bra and underwear. Jen's mouth is dry again, for a much different reason this time. The rest of Judy's body is as toned as her legs, skin so smooth, breasts heaving against her bra as she catches her breath. Jen untucks her shirt, eyes still drinking Judy in when she reaches for her.

"Let me," she murmurs as she brushes Jen's hair back, fingertips grazing her collarbone as she pushes the shirt off Jen's shoulders. It feels like everywhere Judy touches leaves a mark. When her shirt is off, Judy runs her hands down Jen's chest and stomach, Jen's back arching into Judy's touch with a moan, and she stops at her belt, undoes the buckle and unbuttons her pants in one swift motion. Jen unzips and shimmies out of the jeans as gracefully as she can, and as soon as she's free of them, Judy's gently guiding her back onto the bed, working a knee between her thighs, Jen pushing her hips up into it, gasping at the pressure, deliriously craving it now. Judy pauses to reach behind her own back, but Jen stops her.

"Wait," she pants, brain still working well enough to know she's not quite ready to be confronted with the sheer perfection of Judy's breasts, with the inadequacy of her own. "Can we keep our bras on?"

Understanding replaces the desire in Judy's eyes for a split second. "Of course," she leans all the way down, weight resting on top of Jen, face an inch from hers. Jen can barely breathe. "I want you," Judy says, voice low, then her lips find Jen's neck and knee pushes up again, hard. All coherent thought leaves Jen brain at that point, as she wraps her arms around Judy and pulls her as close as possible. Judy's lips and teeth claim all the skin they can, Jen's neck, ears, collarbone, and Jen's hands find their way to Judy's hair, it's so soft, she's making Jen feel so amazing and Jen is overcome with passion, grinding her hips into Judy's knee, her hands fist in her hair and give it a slight pull. Judy gasps, pulls away from her neck and Jen is afraid she's done something wrong, but Judy throws her head back and hisses, "Fuck yesss," and Jen has never been more turned on in her life. 

All of a sudden Jen couldn't care less about her insecurities, she wants to feel as much as possible, and she'd be surprised, but already tonight all preconceived notions of who she is have flown out the window. She reaches up to slide Judy's bra straps off, nods when Judy raises an eyebrow in a silent question. Judy does the rest of the work, throws her bra off to the side of the bed to join her dress on the floor, and Jen feels her jaw drop as she reaches up to palm Judy's exposed breasts, fingers splaying over them, feeling the weight, runs her thumbs over her nipples. Judy throws her head back again and Jen's focus shifts to her neck. She grabs her arms and pulls her down, her turn to kiss and bite Judy's neck. Judy hums in approval, then Jen feels her delicate hands reach underneath her to undo her bra. Judy moves her head to find Jen's mouth, tongue slipping in easily as she kisses her hard. Jen thinks she could lose hours, days like this it's so good, and she's so distracted by the kiss she forgets about her bra coming off until Judy's pressing against her, bare breasts crushed together now, no barriers between them. Even without being able to feel it fully, it's indescribable. 

Judy moves to nip her ear again, whispers "You're beautiful," then slowly moves her mouth to Jen's chest as she dances her hand down her torso, fingers pressing into her, and Jen lets out a long, low moan. She's  _ so _ wet, so ready, and Judy senses it, slips her hand inside her underwear and Jen nearly loses it at the combination of her deft fingers and hot mouth, "Yes, yes, please," she's begging incoherently, and then Judy's fingers are everywhere, inside her and on her clit and they're magic and she's going to fucking lose it, fast.

Jen's toes are curling and she's tensing up her whole body, wants this to last, she's trying to stay within herself when she feels like she could float away, trying to keep the coil from snapping just yet, but then Judy's in her ear, sweet voice whispering "let go," so she does. Her limbs go slack and heavy as her hips shoot up off the bed, coming with a noise that sounds like a sob. As Judy's fingers and her lips on her neck ride her through it, Jen has never felt such release.

And she's floating now, floating up in the sky somewhere, heart pounding in her chest and her ears, but Judy shifts, and moves away, and she can't feel her anymore, and she misses her. She can hear her, though, so she summons all of her strength to open her eyes and lift her head off the bed. Jen's eyes widen when her eyes focus on Judy, one hand on her own breast, the other in her underwear, whimpering. Their eyes catch and Jen is impossibly turned on again.

"Sorry," Judy breathes, "You don't have to do anything, but I need to come. I'm so close already, that was so hot."

"Oh fuck THAT," Jen growls, and she's on her in an instant, yanking her hand out of her underwear and pinning it above her head, and Judy yelps in surprise. Jen can't explain it, but she suddenly  _ needs _ to taste her, so she does. She takes one of Judy's perfect breasts in her mouth, humming at the feel of it as her thumbs dig into hip bones, knee pressing into Judy's center now, feeling the soaked lace. Judy is starting to absolutely come undone underneath her, and Jen feels drunk with the power of it, hearing sounds she didn't know she could elicit from another person. She doesn't know where this is coming from, but it's as if a side of her that's been long dormant is now fully awake. She moves her mouth lower, trailing kisses down a taut stomach and peeling off underwear before settling where she really wants to be, where Judy wants her, too, if the tight grip on her hair is any indication. She wants to make Judy feel as incredible as she does, mouth working hard, jaw getting tired already but she doesn't care. She brings her thumb down to replace her tongue on Judy's clit, other hand gripping Judy's thigh tight as her tongue fucks her. It doesn't take long for Judy to come, and hearing and  _ feeling _ her come apart around her is added to the long list of Jen's hottest moments of the night. It's probably at the top, though. 

Jen lays down next to Judy and watches as she catches her breath. When their eyes meet, Judy smiles blindingly, then it fades and she sits up rather abruptly. "I'll get out of here," she says as she looks around, presumably for her clothes. 

"No! Stay," Jen practically shouts, feeling a bit panick-y, and she sees Judy's hesitation, so she adds, softly this time,"If you want." Now Judy's eyes flare with hope, with happiness, before she nods, and Jen knows- whatever it is she's feeling, she's not alone in feeling it. 

Jen grins and pops up to grab two t-shirts out of a drawer, tosses one to Judy, "If you want something to sleep in. No complaints if you don't."

Judy smiles and pulls it on, breathing in. "It smells like you." 

Jen pulls her own shirt on and climbs into bed, resting her head on her pillow. Judy crawls over to settle in beside her, looking fucking adorable as she burrows under the covers. Jen feels exhaustion take over as she leans to turn off the lamp, and knows she'll sleep better than she has in a long time. Judy faces away from her and Jen pulls her in close, all soft hair and smooth limbs tangled together. "You're the most amazing person I've ever met," she says, so quiet she's not sure if Judy even hears her.

She must have, because Jen hears a soft "You are, too," before falling asleep.

*

Jen wakes up the next morning, instantly knowing that something is different; she feels  _ lighter,  _ and as she rubs the sleep from her eyes she remembers the night before, remembers why. Her arm reaches out but all she feels is an empty bed, same as every other morning. Now she's fully awake as her eyes scan the room, finding nothing, and there's a stabbing pain in her chest. Then she sees Judy's dress and bra on the floor, unmoved from the night before; her heart goes from clenching painfully to beating wildly in relief. Now she can hear the faint sounds of movement downstairs, so she pulls on some pyjama pants and heads down to find Judy.

And there she is, pattering around the kitchen like she's done it before, like she'll do it again. Wearing only Jen's oversized t-shirt, barely covering her (perfect) ass, chestnut hair piled on top of her head, bangs falling in her eyes a bit as she pours some sort of mixture into a pan. Jen comes closer and watches her before she realizes she's there. She's so sexy, and Jen has to rub her thighs together to alleviate the sudden pressure there. Her body having that kind of instant reaction to someone... this is new. 

Judy must sense Jen staring, because she suddenly turns to her and smiles, "Hi! I hope you don't mind, I found some things to make breakfast. It's a frittata. Just gotta stick it in the oven for about 20 minutes when it's done preheating." Jen smiles in return, it's automatic, and she realizes she could get used to this, will do whatever she can to get used to this. 

Jen walks right up to Judy, hand gentle on her arm as she turns her around to face her, "Thank you," she says, hopes Judy realizes she doesn't just mean for breakfast.

"It's no problem, I love to cook, and I figured you'd be starving," her eyes crinkle with another smile.

Jen shakes her head. "Jude..." the nickname comes out without even thinking about it. "Thank you." Then before she knows it she's kissing her. Judy gasps a little at the sudden contact, but immediately wraps her arms around Jen's neck. Jen's mouth trails kisses down, to the exposed skin on her shoulder, biting gently, and her hands are roaming Judy's body, one under her  _ (her) _ shirt, the other yanking down her underwear.  _ Now _ before she knows it she's finger fucking Judy in the kitchen, where she's making her breakfast, relishing the breathy sounds she's making in her ear, how Judy grips her shoulders tight to stay upright and quietly moans her name when she comes. 

Yeah, she could  _ definitely _ get used to this.

She keeps Judy close for a couple of minutes, both out of breath and a bit shocked, then turns away to wash her hands at the sink. Jen feels Judy approach and turns back just in time to see her drop a towel on the floor in front of her. She's confused for a second, doesn't think anything spilled, and then Judy's sinking down on her knees, looking up at her.

_ Oh. _

Judy pulls down her pants and underwear, mouth on her instantly, and Jen leans back, grabs the countertop for support, knees shaking already. Judy's tongue might be even more magical than her fingers, Jen thinks, and her fingers must take it as a challenge because suddenly they're there, too. All Jen knows is pleasure, and a tickle behind her ribs, something she's not even close to putting a name to yet. The oven beeps, it's preheated, and this brings her back to earth a bit. She manages to rasp out the one coherent thought going through her brain as she white-knuckles the counter, feels Judy smile against her in response. 

"Fuck! One night stand, my  _ ass." _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
